Career Advice Community for People Over 50 Years of Age

Have we recovered and put more people to work or are millions UNderemployed and struggling?

What is YOUR take? What is YOUR opinion beyond the conservative and liberal pundits?

Are YOU better off than you were 4 (or 8) years ago?

Everyone keeps talking about regaining manufacturing jobs to the US of A. There was a guy on “Shark Tank” TV show (ABC television) last night that insisted that he make his pop-up pickup truck rack in North Carolina. He wanted to help the local economy.

One of the multi-millionaire Sharks told the inventor that he had to do what is “good for the business.” That meant the inventor needed to manufacture his item more cheaply offshore so he’d then be able to build his business, employing many people to do sales, distribution and other company support functions here.

The Sharks suggested the man would build a bigger business that way. He could employ more people, espeically since they thought his invention was not profitable if made here.

The inventor refused and the wealthy Sharks all passed on his opportunity, even though they agreed with the inventor’s principals. Was the invetor wrong?

Part two of the ‘return manufacturing to the US discussion: I want factory jobs to return more than anyone, BUT, look at any video of the inside of a factory these days. What do you see? ROBOTS. Yes people have to design, build and maintain those robots but there are hundreds (thousands?) of automated processes going on in America’s factories. NO robot I know of earns union scale on the plant floor. Even when manufacturing stays or returns to the USA, it is DIFFERENT.